Ash and Quiet Things*******Kael didn’t go far before night caught him.The land dipped into a shallow basin where the wind thinned and the grass lay flat, pressed down by years of passing feet. He built a small fire there—low, careful, hidden. Old habits from a life that no longer fully belonged to him.As the flames settled, exhaustion crept in. Not the kind sleep fixed. The kind that lived behind the eyes.He had just finished cleaning his blade when he sensed her.Not fear. Not threat.Presence.“You’re terrible at hiding,” a voice said softly from the dark.Kael stood in one smooth motion, sword half-drawn.A woman stepped into the firelight.She was wrapped in a travel cloak, hood down, hands visible. Dark hair braided loosely over one shoulder. Her face was calm in a way that came from practice, not peace.“I followed you from the valley,” she said. “Before you decide whether to kill me—don’t. I’m tired.”Kael studied her. No weapon drawn. No tension in her stance.“Why follow

What She Saw********Kael woke before the danger announced itself.It wasn’t sound that stirred him. It was pressure—like the air had thickened while he slept.The fire had burned low. Gray ash pulsed faintly red at its center. Mira lay a few steps away, wrapped in her cloak, one hand tucked beneath her chin. She looked peaceful in a way that made Kael hesitate to breathe too loudly.Then the dragon shifted.Not a voice this time. A presence rising. Heavy. Awake.Kael stood slowly and stepped away from the fire.The night was wrong. Too still. Even the rain had stopped, leaving the world damp and holding its breath.You are being measured,the dragon said.Do not flinch.“I didn’t ask for this,” Kael whispered.The air warmed.It started in his chest, then spread outward, subtle but unmistakable. His heartbeat deepened, slower, heavier. The scars along his ribs burned, not painfully, but insistently—like something knocking from the inside.Kael clenched his fists.He did not notice M

The Hunter Becomes the HuntedThe next dawn brought a storm—not of weather, but of pursuit. The Order had regrouped, their banners scarred and blackened by rumors of Kael’s dragon-blood. Soldiers poured into the valley, moving with precision, their commander a shadow behind the front ranks.Kael and Mira had planned nothing except to survive. He moved silently along a ridge, the dragon’s presence humming low in his chest. Mira followed, her pace steady, eyes sharp. For the first time, they were not hiding merely from fire—they were hiding from certainty.“Do they know what you are?” Mira asked.Kael didn’t answer at once. He didn’t need to. The storm in the distance answered for him. Smoke drifted from the soldiers’ torches as they pushed forward, a signal of inevitability.The first clash came near a ruined stone wall. Kael stepped forward, heat rising just enough to warn, not to burn. Soldiers faltered. Steel bent and shields warped under the subtle pressure of the dragon within him

Embers and Dawn *********** The valley burned once more—this time, not by fire, but by choice. Kael had turned the Order away, negotiated their retreat through carefully planted evidence of his power and restraint. The city would not forget him, nor would the Order, but he had won freedom—for now. Mira stood beside him as dawn rose, golden light spilling across the hills. For once, the dragon was quiet. It rested in his chest, patient, observing, waiting. Kael could feel its presence as strength, not threat. He looked at her, truly looked. Not the healer. Not the observer. Not the cautious voice in the storm. Mira. Human. Solid. Real. And he realized he could carry her forward, as he carried fire—not as destruction, but as choice. “You could walk away,” she said softly. “Be like the rest of them.” Kael shook his head. “I can’t unsee what I’ve seen. I can’t undo what I’ve done. But I can choose what I become next.” She smiled faintly. Hand in his. The warmth between them